Old Sturbridge Village, The Sleepy Hollow Experience

November 4, 2018 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Last day! – ends November 4. Old Sturbridge Village once again joins with producer/director Brian Clowdus to bring The Sleepy Hollow Experience to the Village. Recognized as one of the country’s top five Halloween plays by American Theatre Magazine, The Sleepy Hollow Experience is an immersive, outdoor theatrical experience that reimagines Washington Irving’s iconic 1820’s tale.

At The Sleepy Hollow Experience, guests will be ghoulishly guided through the Village’s countryside where they will encounter Ichabod Crane, Katrina Van Tassel, Brom Bones and quite possibly the Headless Horseman. Please note that each outdoor performance is approximately 1.5 hours long, and requires standing and walking. Performances are rain or shine. If the evening is a rainout, a modified version of The Sleepy Hollow Experience will take place in Old Sturbridge Village’s Stephen M. Brewer Theater.

One and a half hours before show time, guests can enjoy hot soups and chowder, snacks and sweets. When you purchase your show tickets, you have the opportunity to pre-purchase a hearty soup/chowder meal for an additional $8. Additionally, sweets (and libations) will be available for purchase during intermission. Beer, wine, and cocktails will be available before the show and during intermission. You must have a valid photo ID in order to purchase any alcohol. Guests are welcome to enjoy their libations during the performance.

5 Slightly Spooky Historical Fun Facts

“Jack-o-lanterns” comes from Irish folklore about a man named Stingy Jack in the 1500s. The Irish story mixed with another tradition of making lanterns out of vegetables like turnips or beets to celebrate the harvest. In the mid-1800s, Stingy Jack’s name was attached to the pumpkin lanterns.

Today, the Legend of Sleepy Hollow often evokes thoughts of Halloween. Somewhat ironically, however, Washington Irving’s story never mentions Halloween.

The headless horseman in the Legend of Sleepy Hollow is supposedly a soldier who was decapitated in an unnamed American Revolutionary War battle. There are other stories of a Headless Horseman around the world as well, most notably a German story that predates “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”

The story of how Halloween came to be is not entirely clear or straightforward. It has its roots in a murky blend of pagan and Christian beliefs and folk customs from England, Ireland, Scotland and continental Europe. Many historians see the origin of Halloween in the pre-Christian Celtic festival of Samhain.

Halloween was practically unknown in early 19th-century New England, but that would change quickly. By the 1860s it was not uncommon for boys to play pranks, or girls to toy with romantic fortune telling on Halloween. By the end of the 19th century, costumed Halloween balls for adults were on the rise among the socially elite.